Patient got more care than he wanted

A New Brighton man with a sore throat tried in vain to control his health care costs.

“When I called the clinic, I told the scheduler I wanted only a throat culture done. She said I had to have an appointment to do that, so I made one.”

At the clinic, he got his weight and blood pressure taken. A doctor asked some questions and felt his throat. Then a nurse took the throat culture. He was told to wait in the examining room for the result, which was negative.

The bill arrived a month later: $53 for the throat culture, $146 for the office visit. His health insurance will pay for it. But that’s not the point, he says.

“Why am I being billed for services I never wanted to get?? Because health care providers think they can simply do what they want and people will have to pay for it, or their insurance company will. That is wrong.”

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